The Lost God
by Jane.Casper
Summary: Kharissa has been kept a secret from her half-brother, Acheron, for ten thousand years. When she finally gets permission from her mistress, will her half-siblings try to ruin her life, yet again? Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sherrilyn Kenyon owns all.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-

I watched my brother from the back of the bar as he sang from a depth of his soul not many people could. The old wound cut a little deeper into my heart that it had taken so long for his mother Apollymi to finally try and take some kind of action in his life. For ten thousand years, she'd known I lived and kept me a secret. She may have been the god of destruction, but at the time I had been only a child, and not a very effective one at that. So I was a goddess of humanity, big deal. No big powers in that. Well, humanity and the arts, but that comes from humanity, so I don't exactly count that as a separate piece. Finally thrust upon the world from the place my mother, Leto, had kept me, I'd been found by Apollymi almost instantly. I was part Atlantean, after all, and she had been able to sense her husband's essence in me immediately. She'd told me how to find her, and because I was born after her son was killed, she decided to spare me. I hadn't understood her reasons since I was one of Archon's bastard children, but you don't spit in the face of the Great Destroyer.

Regardless of the fact that Acheron and I were related by blood, she forced me to shield myself from him, only watching from afar to play spy for my mistress. I was a servant, and nothing more. She'd become a bit less cold around me through the years. I was an empath; her intense depression cut me like an Atlantean blade whenever I was in a fifty mile radius of her. She had allowed me a good deal of freedom considering the fact that when out of her realm, she lacked a good deal of control over me. I had faced hardships; romance . . . the loss of my marriage and my daughter. Perhaps that had been why she had let me live, I had always wondered.

My eyes went back to my half-brother, totally ignorant of my presence, as he finished his cover of "Save Me" from Nickelback with the Howlers. He had a beautiful voice, however he was just a tad flat on some notes, but even Chad Kroeger doesn't get everything right on a regular basis. He unplugged his Fender and walked off stage. I smiled as he embraced the girl who stood watching him with total adoration in his eyes . . . and lust. A whole lot of lust, from the two of them. I rolled my eyes and looked away as they kissed each other.

A longing sigh escaped my lips as I longed to go over and introduce myself to him, maybe just congratulate him on a job well done . . . but that was still forbidden. I had to let his life play out for a bit. "So said Apollymi, and so it shall be!" I muttered frostily into my drink. I took a sip. Sadly, alcohol did nothing for me, so I didn't know why I even bothered, but I guess my optimism had overridden my good sense. Gods, it sucked to be the goddess of humanity. I always felt the harshest emotions, unless I stayed around children. Now, kids I could deal with, adults? Not so much.

Children were simple, they wanted only a few things, and when they got what they wanted they were happy. Hell, even if they didn't get all they wanted, they were happy about twenty minutes later, anyway. Their resilience kept me sane. Adults were always so angry, or depressed. They went back and forth and my empathy kept me springing like a yo-yo around them. They were either horrible people, okay people with no way to cope with life, or lusty bastards that made me feel inferior for my lack of a love life. It was all too much to deal with. It's why I spent so much time at the orphanages in the country, trying to bring a little happiness to the deprived. They deserved it, and most of the kids had been there from shortly after birth. I couldn't understand people who didn't want children. So many people tried so hard to have children, and then others just gave them away.

And yet, at the same time, it all made perfect sense to me. I could understand their reasons, since not all of them did it by choice, but they were young, and they didn't want to just obliterate a life. Or they just couldn't deal with a child. My so-called gifts in regards to godly powers seriously sucked. Just like my brother's, except I was more screwed in the sense that dealt constantly with the human psyche. I felt the pain of the humans he cherished as my own because of people's inability to ignore their animalistic urges. Wives being beaten or cheated on, children being disregarded and forgotten, men being killed for stupid things that weren't their fault: all of that, I feel, I understand. However, what I didn't possess was corruption. I could feel the outside edges, but I was human. Not literally human, but the things that make people "human." Compassion, love, happiness, controlled anger; anything that would be classified as a human emotion I possess. At least Acheron could find the ability to not feel, to just leave. I didn't have my own realm, only my few houses and the orphanages I run. People think that my "corporation" is a group of people, when it's only me and a few select humans I deem trustworthy to keep my immortality secret.

In regards to my god powers, I am what my other half brother and sister should have been; the ideal person. However, they were born as two instead of one, and from there, they went down a corrupt horrid road. Together, hand in hand, they became arrogant, foolish, and despicable. I couldn't stand too much time around them. Their emotions were too turbulent and vicious. Artemis was just a bitch, and Apollo was a full out ass hole. I had no need for them. One thing I did find immensely amusing is the fact that Mother did, in fact, love me best. She couldn't stand how the twins had turned out. That whole stunt with the Niobe? Total fiction. They had only killed her and her children so dramatically looking for attention because Mom had been raising me at age five, and damn was I adorable!

They still hated me for taking all of our Mother's attention. I enjoyed every minute of it, until I get called upon by Mumsie to come have a family gathering. At that point I pretty much want to kill something. And coming from me, that isn't something I take lightly. Nor am I exactly violence oriented. If it's absolutely necessary, sure, but most of the time? Hell, no. And the only two things I've ever wanted to strangle the life out of have been Apollo and Artemis.

"Kharissa! What are you doing here," Artemis's voice snapped in my ear. I looked unexcitedly to the left to see Artemis's eyes crackle green fire at the direction of my previous attention.

I cocked an eyebrow. "What does it look like I'm doing, Di? I'm having a drink at a bar in New Orleans. Is that really all that strange?" Her glare would have singed me if I had cared, but there was just something about her that made my god-hood shut down. Very few things did that, and when they did that corruption I talked about poisoned my mind. Oh, the fun I could have ripping my half-sister limb from irritating limb . . .

"Of course it is! Now leave here. You are pushing my pins. I will not have you stay around my Ach-"

"Diana, it's called the present. Come visit it and you can learn all about this new thing, I think it's called, oh what's the word . . . 'Vernacular!?'" I rolled my eyes and downed the last of my beer. "The term is 'pushing my buttons,' Di. Besides, I have orders from the head honcho herself that I'm to keep an eye on _her_ son. So shut up, fuck off, and have a nice day."

She huffed, "Don't you dare take that tone with me, Kharissa! You wouldn't like it if I hurt your precious girl, now would you?"

I got up so fast; my chair almost fell over as I stood to my full height. I glared down at her with venom surging though my veins I had never tasted before. Artemis's eyes seemed entertained. I took a hold of her arm and jerked her out of her chair and around a corner to flash her into the alley next to Sanctuary. I shoved her against the wall. "You so much as breathe on Sotiria; I will have you on your knees before you can comprehend what's happening. You and I both know that if I so much as mention this to Apollymi, she will aid me. You remember the rampage she went on? Because of your refusal to do anything?"

Artemis raked me with a disgusted glance. She tried to move, and I shoved her back against the brick wall. "What," she taunted, "Are you so easily taunted, Kharissa?"

My eyes narrowed. It was a battle to keep my head, but I did. "You know that I hate you, and that I loathe you even more for taking Sotiria from me after . . ." I didn't finish the thought; her smirk said she knew what I was talking about. Sickened, I let go of her and looked away. "Just get the hell out of here. And don't forget what I said about my daughter, _Diana_." I always called her Diana, or Di to remind her of the Romans who didn't pay her enough heed. The only thing I adored about the Romans was their lack of love for my sister. It warmed me to the very core of my soul.

However, she pretended to ignore my reminder of that glorious empire. Artemis chuckled. "Oh, we'll see what our brother and Mother say about that, Kharissa. I'm sure they'll just be tickled red by this."

"Pink, Di, it's 'tickled pink.' Please, I beg of you, leave before you give me anymore ammunition to use against you and your total ignorance," I said sardonically. She puffed up, gave me one last, good glower, and then vanished. _Bitch_.

I sunk down against the alley wall and leaned my head back. I was there for at least a half an hour mourning my daughter who was still in service to her bitch of an "aunt." She wasn't even worthy of the title, really. _Sotiria_. Salvation. That's what she had been for me: the one thing that had kept me happy and focused when I was married. And my so-called sister had stolen her from me because she was jealous of the attention I got from our mother. My own child! The only thing that was really mine since I didn't have a temple or a realm, hell, I didn't even have a pantheon! I was born from the Atlantean pantheon on my dead father's side, and the Greek on my mother's. The Fates were also related to me on my father's side, but could they stop for five seconds of making my life hell to help me in some way? No. Gods forbid they do something nice for someone other than Astrid or themselves.

I ducked my head onto my forearms to cry silently during the time that I couldn't control myself. I could still remember the way my little Ria had felt like in my arms, the way she laughed and smiled and played with my hair. I looked down at the auburn hair that was far darker than Artemis's and completely different from Acheron's. I wondered idly if he'd be even a smidge kinder than the siblings that know me, but based upon his mixed reactions and who my closer siblings were . . . that reaction wasn't easily discernable.

"Kari? Hey, you okay?" I sniffed and wiped my eyes off on my sleeve. I cleared my throat and looked up at Dev.

"Do you want the truth or the totally fake lie?"

He moved next to me and then sank down to fold his long frame next to mine. "Which are you in the mood for, Kare?"

"Then, I'll just come out with the truth. I don't ever know if I'm okay. I only know that I'm alive and that it's going to be damn hard to change that. That and the fact that I can never really stay totally depressed or content for more than a twenty four hour time period."

Dev nodded in understanding. We were both quiet, until he snapped as something occurred to him. I jumped like a jackrabbit at the loud crack his action had made in the silence. His face perked up. "Hey, maybe you just need a man, huh?" He elbowed me playfully. I chuckled, but that was about it. Thinking about Ria always made me like this.

Dev sighed and combed his hair back with his hand. "Yeah, bad idea, I guess . . . But there are some pretty decent guys inside. If you need a helpful push in the right direction . . ." he offered.

I gave him a wan smile. He was a good man . . . or, bear, rather. I leaned my head against his left shoulder before inquiring childishly, "Can we just stay like this for a little while? I don't want to be alone, Dev." He smiled and answered with an affirmative as he brought his arm up around my shoulders.

"Anything for you, squirt."

In all honesty, one of man's greatest creations was the Were-bear. It's like having your own living teddy bear! Had I said that out loud, Dev would have done one of two things: gone totally ape-shit on my ass that I even thought to compare him to a child's toy, or laugh and hug me harder. It's why I kept my mouth shut and just treasured the silence, still balancing between contentedness and depression. Content because of present company and internal commentary, and depression because of my longing for my Sotiria. Isn't it just great to be me?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 –

I wasn't sure how long it was that Dev and I sat there, but after a time, Aimee came out and got him saying that Nicolette needed him to watch the door. He looked at me with concern in his eyes. "You'll be okay, now, right, Kari?"

I dipped my head, shooing him back off to his job. I was left alone yet again. Gods, I hated my job.

I felt a pull. That was basically an ethereal bell pull that Apollymi had installed directly in my head. Yup. The only woman who could possibly make my night more miserable (or totally turn it around) was my boss and she was calling me to heel. I flashed to Kalosis.

Outside of the throne room I rapped sharply on the door. Like the good little pup I was, I came in quickly. I nodded at the demons before focusing my attention on my mistress. "You rang, m'lady?"

"How is your daughter?" The words were asked coolly, utter nonchalance evident in her inquiry. I knew better.

"I wouldn't know. Like my lady I am forbidden to see her, and unlike my lady I have no way of contacting her," I replied quietly. My even tone belied the devastation that ripped through my core at my own words. Gods, I wanted my Ria back.

Her angelic face watched my reaction carefully. A few moments later she seemed satisfied. My eyes stayed on a spot on the wall behind her head as I waited for her to say something. When she did not, something occurred to me. I had comtemplated what this might have been like, and steeling myself, I asked tentatively, "Akra? May I speak freely for a moment?" She inclined her head regally looking only vaguely interested. "The thought just occurred to me that had I been lucky enough to have been born to you, I might still have had my Ria. My bitch of a half-sister would have had no reason for taking her from me because she wouldn't have been able to be jealous of the attention I get from our mother . . . That and it's obvious you wouldn't have hidden me from the world unless you had to. I just thought you should know." I dropped my eyes only catching a glimpse of the shock that had passed over her features.

Apollymi made an interested sound. "Kharissa?" I looked at her. "You do not just feel my pain vicariously, do you? You feel a degree of it yourself, yes?" Had I voiced my answer instead of just locking my jaw and nodding, it would have cracked. I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat as my mistress continued, "Mmm. Even as the Great Destroyer, I wouldn't wish this pain on one such as you or I, Kharissa. And you are certainly right. Had you been born my daughter instead of the Greek Titan's, you would have lived out in the open, or like my son.

"I shall show you a kindness, Kharissa. If you can help my son, I shall help you get your daughter back. On one condition," she paused and I sucked in a breath. "You must transfer her service over from Artemis to myself. Like my Katra."

I thought for a moment. There had to be a catch. She already knew that I wanted to finally meet my half-brother. "I'd be able to see Sotiria? Whenever I pleased, save for when you have need of me," I inquired cautiously.

"Yes. And as long as I have no need of _her_, either . . . although, there is the question of payment," she mused. I nodded. There it was. Kindness, sure, but it always comes at a cost when in connection to Apollymi.

"What is it that you want of me?"

She smirked as if it were obvious as she retorted smoothly, "I want you to kill Strykerius." Ah. Yup. That was quite a big price considering I had been feeling his pain over the past few millennia. Yeah. This would be great. He wasn't an innocent and I'd just have to picture him as Artemis… Or maybe just visit my sister . . . Oh, who am I kidding? Killing only came easily if my victim was going to be my annoying half-siblings.

"Do you accept the terms?" Apollymi was staring at me. This was a test. This was in all likelihood a test. She'd carry out the terms and finally show what she really had in mind when this was all over. It was just how she worked. I swear, she could strike as hard a bargain as Di does with Ash and her dark hunters.

I grimaced and bobbed my head. "Yes. I do, my lady." I almost left before I turned back and asked carefully, "Mistress, what, pray tell me, is it that I must help Apostolos with?"

"Anything he needs of you. From this day forth, you are now in servitude of us both, Kharissa. You are dismissed."

_Great. Isn't this just fabulous? _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks later, I'm sitting in my house, playing my guitar, and trying to think of a good way to introduce myself to Ash. Obviously, I couldn't just walk up to him, put out my hand and say "Hello, Acheron! I'm your goddess half-sister! I'm now you and your mother's eternal servant because I traded my freedom to get my daughter back from my bitch half-sister! Oh, who is it? Well, you know Artemis? Yeah, she stole my daughter from me and made her one of her koris, so I can't actually get her back without help from the Great Destroyer. Oh, and I also have to kill Styker. Want to help me?" Yeah. Not exactly something to entice a warm welcome.

Then, on the other hand, if I didn't tell him early on that I was related to him by blood, he would resent me for not being totally honest from the start. In other words, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Awesome. Now, I just had to find the crack in one of the two objects I was up against, and drill it all to hell. If only I could find the crack and my metaphorical drill . . .

I felt a surge of power and cursed silently. A tall blond haired man ambled into my bedroom like he owned the place. The polar opposite of who I wanted to see right now. He moved around picking up my knick knacks and eyeing my pictures. His distaste for my mundane decorations was practically tangible.

"Why don't you just find a temple or make one, Kharissa? Oh wait, I forgot! You don't have a pantheon. No temple for you, then," Apollo drawled in that annoyingly superior tone. Gods, did I hate him and his giant ass ego.

I replied in a bored tone, "Look, you talentless Helios wannabe, stop touching my stuff, gather up your ego, and get the hell out of my house. I don't have time for your bullshit."

Apollo's eyes narrowed and his face became inflamed in outrage. "Talentless? You little whore, who do you think you're talking to? I am the God of Music. I have the Muses under my command. How dare you think your art better than mine!"

I laughed loudly, obnoxiously, and totally in his face. "Yeah. Talk about insecurities. I make you and your Muses look mediocre and you know it. Besides, Mom always liked my singing, and playing, and painting, and drawing, and sculpting, and poetry and stories better anyway. Ha ha!"

"Your husband was right in what he did, Kharissa. Don't deny it. You are not worthy of any god."

I snorted, trying to hide the pain that tore through me at that. Damn emotions. "Yeah, uh huh, says the epitome of the term 'man-skank.' I'm sure he felt the same, since you were always giving him those lusty stares. I bet you were one of the sluts he was with when he was running around, weren't you, _brother_?"

Apollo drew back his hand to smack me for my insolence, but I caught it before it could crack against my cheek. I clucked my tongue at him and wagged the index finger on my other hand. "Naughty, naughty, brother mine. Didn't you learn not to strike me the last time I kicked your ass?"

Stealing his hand back he raged, "Don't lay a hand upon me with your filth, wench. That was pure luck. When you try to kill my bastard son, I'll enjoy watching you die."

"Yeah, like that pansy ass could scratch me. If he's anything like you, it won't even be a challenge. Like killing a stink bug: gross, but it is so easy, and satisfying to crush it beneath your boot."

With one last sneer, my disgusting lack-wit of a half-brother left in a flash of light. Apollo and his stupid ass theatrics. He shouldn't have been the god of art; he should have been the god of drama. I swear, that boy makes Shakespeare look like some macho he-man.

I yelled loudly through to him, "Yeah, you run back to Mom! She still loves me best, you coward!"

Two seconds later I felt another flash of power and then Mother waltzed into my bedroom. Couldn't I get more than a few moments alone, anymore? I had some serious thinking to do.

Mom was giving me a chiding glare. "Kari-bear," she patronized, "What did I say about antagonizing your brother and sister?" My eyes widened.

"The shit-head actually ran back home, Ma?"

"Kharissa," my mother squeaked indignantly. "Your brother is a good boy! Yes, he and your sister have not always been perfect but they are good on the inside."

"Mom, I hate to break it to you, but you've kind of failed in raising them. Just the fact that they were so jealous that they stole my daughter from me and have kept me from her for a few thousand years proves my point. You stood by and did nothing even when I begged you to help me."

She frowned disapprovingly. "Kari-bear they were only trying to protect her, not keep you from her."

Why the fuck did I have to have such a horrible family? They were totally incompetent. "Mother. They made her a kori, and haven't allowed me near Artemis's temple. You stood by and watched, listening to their total bullshit. You expect me to believe that those ass holes had actually been doing a good deed?"

My mother nodded then leveled a finger at me. "Kharissa Lysimache, don't you take that tone with me! And don't you think I'd like to see my granddaughter more often than I do? Of course, but I do not always get what I want, and neither can you."

"Get out. You hid me from the world, and now you're justifying the loss of my daughter."

My mother looked appalled. "I will do no such thing. I have come to tell you that you are forbidden to kill Strykerius."

I blinked. I couldn't believe it. She was actually siding with my disgusting half siblings. Friggin' first borns. I shook my head, revolted. I raked my mother with a sneer. "You aren't my master. You aren't my mistress. You don't dictate what I can and cannot do. The only thing you ever did for me was give birth. That and hide me from the world."

"I protected you from the wrath of that Atlantean bitch," she interrupted indignantly.

"Like hell you did! You only did that so she wouldn't come after you, too, for having been one of my father's mistresses! You didn't hide me for my welfare; you did it to save your own ass. You stood by and did nothing to help me while my ex-husband slept around, and you let your little bitch whore of a daughter still my baby from me and did nothing, yet again. Now, you expect me to do what you ask when the one way I can be the mother that you never were, is to kill the one ass hole you 'forbid' me to harm?" I shook my head in utter distaste.

My mother's eyes were wide and a little hurt. In all honesty, I was tired of dealing with her dumb ass antics for ten thousand years. Anger began to replace the hurt. "Kharissa, you are my daughter, and you will do what I say," she commanded with the force of her goddess powers. I just ignored it. "I did what I thought best, and as a goddess of humanity, you should be able to see my sincerity for what it is. I am your mother. Apollymi is only using you, Kharissa. Do not be fooled by her. I was the one that birthed you, fed you, clothed you, damn it, girl, I raised you. Your husband was a man. I expected him to do as much and thought it best that you see him for what he was. Your daughter wasn't safe with you. I didn't allow Artemis to take her. I ordered her to take her. You were unfit as a mother. I decided to put her in the hands of your sister where she would always be safe."

My head jerked back. No. No, this wasn't possible. She couldn't have hit me harder had she used a god-bolt. I shuddered, everything made sense now.

My mother hadn't done nothing because she was blind. It was because she had ordered it. Everything had gone according to plan. The woman who raised me and gave birth to me had thought me "unfit" as a mother and taken my daughter from me. The one thing good in my life, and she'd robbed me of her, leaving me thinking my sister had just been jealous. I couldn't believe it.

With fury and tears in my eyes I ordered quietly, "Get out of my house. Get out of my life, and never come back. Oh, and mother?" I had turned away, and now turned back to glance at her. I continued, "I hope you rot in hell, and some way, somehow, I'll figure out a way to kill your precious Artemis and Apollo if it's the last thing I do. I would just love for you to know what it's like to be robbed of your child and know that your own flesh and blood had done the deed." I turned away and quietly strummed my guitar. Goddess of motherhood my ass, I thought. If she was such a good fucking mother why the hell did she take my Ria from me? She broke my heart and shredded my souls all in one shot and then she had the gall to look down her nose at me like some superior being. Screw her. I didn't need my mother anymore. I was a grown woman and I had a boss who was better than my mother. At least she was somewhat fair and there was a reason for any of her bitchiness. She was supposed to bring about the end of the world and she'd had her child torn from her. I could understand that. My own mother, I didn't understand.

Bitch.

A hand touched my shoulder and turned me to face it's owner. "Why are you still—" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw who had turned me. How the hell did _he_ get in here?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-

I looked up into the sarcastic eyes of my older half-brother. It was strange seeing him there. Here, rather. In my house, my bedroom, and I had just been about to call him "Mom." Great way to meet a relative, huh? I could do nothing but blink up at him trying to piece together how he could have gotten in my house. I mean, I knew he could just come and go pretty much anywhere he pleased, but how did he get my address? Why was my older half-brother in my house?

"Nasty fight with Mom?" Ash's amusement grew a bit tense and his emotions were becoming uneasy. He must be mistaking my shock for arousal, I thought. Oh, gods, that's awkward.

I put the heel of my hand to my forehead. "Yeah. You have no idea. Generally, I don't want to, you know, kill anyone or anything. The pain and agony that goes along with it is too much for me, so, when I say that I want to kill my brother, sister, and now, my mother with a passion that outshines my brother's dumb ball of fire, it's a little odd." I snapped my mouth shut as I realized that I had started babbling. Quietly, I muttered to myself. "I'll just shut up, now."

When Acheron picked up my guitar, I struggled not to yell and throw a hissy fit. My guitar was sacred to me. No one touched it, not even my mother. He let out a low whistle. "Very nice. I always did like the Hummingbird. Good model, awesome sound." Ash sat on the very edge of the bed and strummed a chord. When he started strumming the chords to Shinedown's "45," I began to hum along. I couldn't help it; I was a goddess of music, so I generally sang anything that had words when I heard it.

I perked my head up a bit to watch Acheron, shyly. Gradually, I began to relax. Art had that effect on me. By the time he'd gotten to the first chorus, I was singing. I could see Ash getting into the song, and the fact that he was relaxing as well made it easier for me to give into the pull of the music. In my mind's eye, I saw a story unfold as lyrics floated from my lips into the air. I felt the sadness and longing that had been written into the lyrics and it came out in my vocals. With the last strum of the song, I realized that I had tears running down my face, yet again.

I hastily hid my face and wiped the moisture away from my face. I turned around and smile weakly at Acheron. He was watching me carefully, calculating. I laughed tepidly. Pointing to myself I proclaimed, "Goddess of the arts. And Humanity. Basically, I'm what Apollo and Artemis _should_ have been. Supposedly, if you combine the two personalities, you have the ideal person. According to my bitch-mother, that's what I am." I sighed, feeling the loss of my Ria and the betrayal of my mother. Feeling more pessimistic, I added, "Though I feel more like the spit-upon product of a whore and a womanizing god, hidden from the world for ten thousand years because my mother was 'protecting me.' Yeah. That's bullshit." I flopped back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. If I seemed rude, I honestly couldn't have cared. At that moment, I just felt worthless, unnecessary. I felt . . . wrong, too, like I wasn't supposed to have happened. Like that odd child that's conceived when their mother is on the pill. Often times, when it's later in a marriage, the kid will be labeled a "surprise;" but when it comes right down to it, the kid was an accident, plain and simple.

Ash nodded, understanding. "What's wrong?"

I glanced over at him and then away. He was still a bit rigid, even after that pleasant jam session. I closed my eyes and put an arm over my face. I retorted, "Other than everything? Or do you mean the more pressing wrong?"

"Whichever one you need to talk about more."

I snorted. Ladylike, I know. "Well, first off, why are you here? Not that that's a bad thing, but, if I'm not mistaken, you didn't even know I existed up until sometime today."

Acheron nodded. "My daughter—"

"Katra," I interrupted.

I heard a frustrated sigh. Before he continued, I added, "Don't worry, at least you didn't have your daughter stolen from you by your jealous half-sibling only to be told that your mother had actually sanctioned the kidnapping and lied to you. Oh, and the icing on the cake would be if you couldn't even go to said daughter because you are unable to enter another god's temple without an invitation."

My tone was off-hand, but he heard the bitterness that entered my voice at the end. "Yes. Katra told me that her aunt who she had met at my mother's had finally been allowed to reveal her presence to me."

"Did she also mention that I'm also now in service to both you and your mother?" I chuckled unenthusiastically. "Fabulous woman, Apollymi. I have to say, she certainly knows how to strike a bargain. I've worked with her for centuries, and not once did she let me near you except to watch you from afar."

"So you are the one that's been spying on me for so long. What, since the Bronze Age? Longer?"

"Not too much longer. Perhaps more towards the Stone Age. I was watching in the background when you began caring for the first Dark-Hunters."

Ash sighed and turned more toward me. "Well, at least you did a good job of it. I never could figure out who it was." He quirked his head to the side.

"Apollymi?" I looked to my half-brother for affirmation. Ash's expression was a tad bewildered, but not by much.

Slowly, he replied, "Yes . . . how did you know?"

While pointing to my head I smiled wickedly. "Always on call. No matter where I am, I always have service, I never drop a call, _and_ I don't have to pay any surcharges. Except in, you know, blood, if I do something wrong, but what's life without a bit of pain, eh?"

"So I'm _not_ the only one! See that? And here I thought I was the only person who had voices in their head."

I laughed outright and ticked off names on my fingers. "Would you care to compare notes? I have the Great Destroyer, my mother, my brother, his twin sister, and, on occasion, Katra. On a bad day I also have my ex-husband's voice in my head, but that's a different story." I sat up and faced Acheron with my legs crossed.

Acheron's face hardened after the mention of "twin sister." Inwardly, I winced. Damn it. His tone turned cautious, "Who's your mother?" Ash was trying to be sly, but it was already obvious what he was really asking.

With a smile, I answered, "Well, since you and I both know, you're really asking about my siblings let's see. I'm related to you and the Fates on my father's side, and my mother is Leto, so I'm despairingly also related to Apollo and Artemis." I giggled. "Feel free to leave at any moment, now, just like everyone else has, all my life: my husband, my mother, my siblings, my so-called friends. Ha! That's the joke of the century."

I grabbed my guitar and started playing a complicated melody I had been working on for the past few days. I heard footsteps move quietly out of my room. I ignored the familiar pain that bloomed in my chest. Never was it easy to deny the lonely ache that cascaded through my soul—do gods even have souls?—when I was left on the fringe of things. I seriously hated my life some times. I mean, what was the use in being part Atlantean when you were also the daughter of a Greek titan of _motherhood_? There's no power there, no ability to make a difference in the cosmos. That was left for my petty siblings. If they died—which I sorely wished they would do, the twins especially—then the universe would go out of whack.

When a drop of moisture hit my guitar, I shut my eyes tightly against the emotional and physical pain. Ash's own turbulent emotions weren't having a positive effect on me, either. There was guilt, anger, disgust, and horror there, all jumbled together. He hid it well, but what can you hide from an empath?

I damn near hit the ceiling when Acheron sat back down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. I stared at it in astonishment. He never touched anyone. Ever. It almost seemed as though contact with others brought him physical agony. Ash scrutinized my face carefully, his face strained. I swallowed and inquired quietly, "W-why are you feeling guilty? You do not know me, nor have you any past experience to trust a sibling. I do not understand." I bit my bottom lip to hide its trembling.

A gasp left my lips when he hugged me tightly. This—this was just not normal for him. I had guarded and watched over this man for thousands of years, and not once had he voluntarily hugged anyone. My sister, obviously, forced him to do it. Bitch deserved the "pain" he put her through.

I shook my head and hugged him back burying my face in his shoulder as he answered in a low tone, "Because I know what it's like to always be on the periphery. And obviously, you hate your siblings as well; just because of that, you can't be all that bad."

I felt like a little girl at that moment. I still looked like the twenty year old that I usually did, but I felt so small. I was only an inch taller than Diana (much to her displeasure), so my brother towered over me, even when sitting.

I pulled away to give him space. Ash didn't have to talk to tell me that he was becoming uncomfortable. I stood up and looked around helplessly, trying to figure out a way to not seem like an emotional twelve year old. Sniffing and wiping my face, I asked if Ash would like anything to drink—after which I forcefully smacked myself in the forehead realizing that, unless I planned on bludgeoning my sister and stealing her blood, Ash couldn't drink anything I had to offer. Out of nowhere, I snapped and realized what might help endear myself to him.

"You like kids, right?"

Bobbing his head warily, Acheron nodded. "Yes, why?"

My grin was triumphant. "Because I have an entire network of orphanages running throughout the world. Want to meet some kids? You can pick a location off my computer." I motioned to the piece of machinery in my office next door. Ash raised his eyebrows.

"A network of orphanages?"

"Yes, sir. Name a continent and I can tell you the total number I have there. They're all under different names, and only the managers know that they're all connected. I make regular donations to all of them, twice a year to keep up their funds. Sadly, that also means that I have to make damned sure none of my 'minions' are stealing the money for themselves."

Ash gave me a considering glance before retorting slyly, "Antarctica?"

It was hard not to roll my eyes at him. "Obviously, no. Oh, you wouldn't happen to know anyone in Germany, who wants any kids, do you? I have a bunch of kids in Berlin in need of homes; not many people in the area are adopting, and I can't really raise the kids. Not aging tends to raise suspicion."

Without waiting for his reply, I put out my hand, and then inquired "Shall we? You can meet some of them if you'd like. And, once you know where they are, you can go to anyone of them and volunteer, hang out with the kids, whatever. We aren't that well staffed. Anywhere."

Ash jerked before rubbing his shoulder. With a nod, he placed his hand in mine and I smiled, flashing us into the secret room and office I keep in all of my locations. He glanced around and then back at me. My eyes strayed to his shoulder. There was something about that I should be remembering . . .

My brother followed my gaze and raised an eyebrow at my inquisitive expression. He nodded with an eyebrow cocked, "Yes, it _is_ a shoulder. Where are we, anyway?" And now he was back to switching the topic.

"The German orphanage I told you about. We're in Berlin. You _can_ speak German, right?"

With a roll of his eyes he strode toward the only door in the room. Over his shoulder he come back with, "_Natürlich kann ich Deutsch sprechen!_" Translation: "Of course, I can speak German!"

I chuckled as I followed and led him into the small, hidden staircase that led to the Orphanage manager's office. Maybe this could be a mechanism for convincing Ash that I hadn't inherited the total bitch gene that seems to run in both sides of my family. Gods know how I needed someone not to turn their back on me. Ash could be my last hope. With his back turned to me on the stairs, my sly smile dissolved to leave the worry that seeped through my body from my damaged soul; like a poison, my anxiety twisted and turned within me until I was sure my innards had become lead weights in my stomach.

_Please don't shun me, too, Ash. I may not survive it. _


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N**: Okay. So it's been a really long time since I updated anything, and so I worked late last night to finish this chapter up. Hopefully you all like it! I'm not sure if anything else will be finished for another couple weeks, though. -_- Finals are annoying, so bear with me! So I'm done with my blathering. Read on and enjoy!_

_Jane._

* * *

Chapter 4 –

We walked into the office of one of my first adoptees. When Heinz was five years old, he and his sister were on the streets of Berlin in the early eighties when I happened across little Heinz. He was begging for food or what little money people would give out. His older sister, Anna, was suffering from pneumonia. By the time I got to them, she was too far gone for me to heal her. She died two months later in a warm bed, safe and sound in my Berlin apartment. I'd kept Heinz with me until he was old enough to go to college. He knew all about me, who I was, and what I did; he had graciously gotten a degree in education administration with a minor degree in business management so he could run a German orphanage for me.

"Heinz!" I smiled eagerly and opened my arms to him. He looked up from his papers and stood quickly. Heinz came around the desk and embraced me, grinning ear to ear. I kissed his forehead and asked him how he was doing as well as the kids.

He hesitated before answering, glancing pointedly at Ash. "Mama," he said in German, "aren't you forgetting your manners again?" It was so odd sometimes; he occasionally surpassed me in logic as he had recently done in looks. I looked to be in my early twenties, and my Heinz was now pushing thirty.

"You never cease to make me look the fool, Heinz. And yes, I am. Again. This is my br—my friend, Mr. Parthenopaeus. Ash, this is Heinz Werner. Heinz is the curator of the orphanage here, and one of my adoptive children. Of course, he doesn't look it, but he used to be quite the trouble maker." I looked fondly at Heinz, remembering him as a child around twelve years old. That was about the time when he had suddenly decided that it was fun to try my patience and break things or burn them. Explosions had been his favorite means of my torture. I would never tell anyone these things without his permission . . . or if it was to meet a love interest of his. If it came to the latter, it was a free for all.

Ash and Heinz shook hands. Heinz frowned at Ash then shook his head and turned back to me. With an odd expression gracing his familiar features, he summarized the current condition of the orphanage: how many children had found homes, the state of the building and the financial status. When I asked where Caroline, one of my favorite kids—and a five year old I was planning to adopt soon—was, Heinz's face looked sympathetic. He put a hand on my shoulder as he hesitantly replied:

"Mama, she was adopted last week. I knew you had had your eye on her for some time, but you've done that and then changed your mind. I didn't want her to lose her chance at a home." I heard the unspoken end of that sentence. _A normal home away from any pressure of carrying on the family business_. I nodded mutely and smiled halfheartedly at him. I understood what he meant. I'd known for a long while that he was grateful for my raising him, but he also wished he'd had a more normal life. A childhood with public school, friends, and sports instead of orphanages, finances, traveling across the globe. I generally raise about four kids at a time. When I'm out, leave them with the children in one of my network's locations. None of my kids would admit that to me, but I knew regardless; it made me want to cry for them.

"Thank you for telling me, Heinz. Do you mind if I show my friend around?" He acquiesced and smiled, but the tightness around his eyes explained to me that he felt bad for how he and his siblings felt. I nodded and led Ash out into the main part of the orphanage. High pitched German met our ears in young shrieks, laughs, and exclamations of varying ages. As I walked into the main room, quite a few children yelled, "_Fräulein Schmetterling_!" My sadness nearly evaporated as I knelt and greeted the children. Many hugged me and I commented on how big they were getting. After a moment, I gently chastised them for not greeting my friend. One commented on how Acheron looked almost scary. This seemed to amuse my half-brother as he knelt down and instantly stuck out his hand with a childish smile that lit up his face.

That one action was all it took to get them to loosen up. It was one of the things I loved about the kids in my orphanages and why I kept them well financed. The money I made sure they had kept everything running smoothly, and made the home seem very much like a real home with a plethora of children. It allowed the kids to forget sometimes that they didn't have a biological family-unless they had a similarly orphaned sibling.

When the kids gave Ash a chance to step back, he asked me in ancient Greek, "Why did they call you Miss Butterfly?"

One side of my mouth pulled up in a half grin. I answered in kind, "Because, according to them, I'm pretty but illusive. I'm a joy to have around but I never stick around for long. I always fly away just when they start having fun." Acheron's eyes, hidden by dark glasses traced the different groups of children that played in the main room. Most of the kids in there were younger. School was in session, so the older children were absent and studying.

"Well, you evaded me for around a thousand years, so you've had an awful lot of practice, Kharissa."

With a half hearted laugh I corrected, "Kari." My brother's head turned to get a better view of my face.

"Kari?" I nodded affirmation and he extended a hand. "Ash. Now that the formal introductions are over with, maybe I can ask you something."

Eagerly, I nodded. "Anything. Not only do I want to help, but I've been ordered to! So you may feel safe with the knowledge that it will not be a half-assed job." He smirked.

"Do you have a place like this in New Orleans?" After I inclined my head, I asked for a minute to say goodbye to the kids and Heinz. On my way out, I noted that we were running out of space here in Berlin. I nodded upstairs as I went past Ash and he followed me back up, through Heinz's office, and into the upper room, where I flashed us back to my office at home.

I leaned over my desk chair and typed rapidly at the keyboard to bring up the file on my New Orleans orphanage. It was outside the city so there would be room to expand the orphanage, if need be. It was also on higher ground. After Katrina, I'd had it relocated outside the city; I didn't want children dying because I'd put too much faith in the levies. I printed out a picture of the building with directions and the address. On the bottom of the sheet, I wrote my cell number, my home number, and the number of the New Orleans location. I folded it all up carefully and turned back to Ash.

Giving him a sincere look in the eye, I held it out to him. "If you need anything, anything at all, call me. My cell phone and home phone numbers are on there as well as the number for the orphanage. I'll give Trudy a call and tell her to let you in if you knock on the door." I offered my hand after he tucked the information in his back pocket. A half-smile graced my lips.

He bypassed the hand and hugged me for the second time—leaving me flabbergasted once more. Ash pulled back and put his hands on my shoulders, staring me in the face. "Kari, you aren't hopeless. And if you need me, call." He flashed a grin and then flashed out.

So not all of my family sucked. That was a plus. . . But that didn't take away from my mother's betrayal. For a goddess of motherhood, she was one shitty parent. At some point over the last few millennia, I think she must have gone through menopause or something because she obviously lost whatever maternal instinct she had been known for.

Just as I started to relax at my desk with some music on, working at my computer, the one person who could ruin the better mood my kids and Ash had put me in, flashed behind me.

The Finish god, Ilmarinen, my ex-husband was behind me. At one time the smell of ultra-heated metal and forge used to send a thrill through me. Now, it only sent a shock of dread running through my veins. From the reflection on the glass of my desk, I saw the dour look on his bearded face. I recalled a distant time when his pock-marked, broad face was ruggedly handsome to me. At the moment, I only wanted to watch it burn in the flames of his own forge.

His look of utter superiority sickened me and I sorely wished—once again—that I had my own temple into which no god or goddess could enter uninvited. I wouldn't have as many headaches then, I was certain.

"Well, Kari? Any luck getting my daughter back? Hmm? Or have you failed once more?" I closed my eyes and slowly counted to ten; if I didn't rein in my unnatural temper, the consequences could be horrific.

"No, Arin, I haven't. Have you made any progress in learning the art of monogamy? Or is that concept too difficult for your addled brain to grasp after a few thousand years?"

My ex's eyes creased in anger and he spat, "If I had a good enough bed partner, I wouldn't have failed at that particular task." I smirked at my computer screen.

"I'm the one who was a horrible bed partner? How long did it take you to get me pregnant with Ria? Hmm? Oh, right! A couple _centuries_! Thank goodness we're immortal, or we would have been long dead in that time. I knew I should have married a Babylonian fertility god. Now _they_ know how to treat a woman."

Arin sneered and me and spun my chair until I was facing him. Posting a thick, corded arm on either side of the chair, he made me stare him in the face. Feigning boredom, I sighed and checked the clock before telling him to hurry his ass up. I didn't have all day and he just wasn't worth my valuable time.

"Listen here, woman. I want my girl back. I have need of her and you're going to get her back for me." His thick brows were knit together and his breath was foul from too much alcohol.

I rolled my eyes at the Finnish god (wondering why the hell I ever let my mother set me up with this man. Perhaps because he was desperate for a woman after he lost his first one?). "Do it your damned self, Ilmarinen. Obviously, I can't get into Artemis's temple. She's been careful not to invite me in for any reason at all, and my mother was the one who sanctioned the action. So in case it still hasn't clicked in that thick-metallic skull of yours, leave me alone. I can't do anything about it. And you never cared about her before, so why should I trust your motives with _my_ daughter, now?"

His squinty Finnish eyes looked closely at me before he collapsed to his knees with his head on my lap, sobs wracking his frame. "Oh, Kari, my Kari! Please, please take me back! I've been so lonesome, I never should have left. Our Ria might still be here if I hadn't gone astray!"

Hands the size of sledge hammers clutched at my hips. My eyes shot open in surprise. How many times, I wondered, had I dreamed of this moment? How many times had I reprimanded myself for wanting him back? Would I take him back when he hadn't deserved my love in the beginning?

Arin looked up at me through light colored curls and I felt twinges of the long-buried affection I used to feel at that face. Damn my compassion! It was close to impossible for me to ignore someone in so much (apparent) pain. I wouldn't take him back. I couldn't. It just wasn't right! He was horrendous! A lying conniving piece of trash not fit to shine my Ria's shoes much less claim a blood right to her! . . . But alas, here I was, feeling my walls of hurt and anger crumble under my compassionate tendencies.

My hand shook as I struggled with myself. The logical side of me wanted to smack him. The instinctual god-half only wanted to pull him to me and comfort him in whatever ways I could.

Just as my hand was about to touch his face, an explosion rocked my house followed by booted footsteps. My home was under attack, and I wasn't even sure who I'd pissed off. I checked my watch and realized that that clock had yet to strike noon. You know your day is going to suck when your mother reveals a betrayal, your ex-husband shows up, and someone attacks you and your house. Great life I have, huh?


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:** Hello dear readers! Yes, an update from the writer that never updates! We finally get to see all of Kari! Yes, a shock, I know, but things happen. More to come, Enjoy! And don't forget to hit the little green button that says "Review." I've got close to a thousand hits (Super Yay!) and about five reviews ( ?). So. Think about it. . . Now read on!_

* * *

Chapter 5-

I jumped to my feet, my eyes wide. The kids! I hadn't sent them to the New York location before I left! Alex was eighteen; she and her sixteen year old brother, Tommy, could handle Eve and James. Knowing that they were in the other half of the house, I sprinted, cursing myself for the size of the structure.

"Alex!" I screamed. "Tommy? Where are you? Are Eve and James okay?" I got to the kids' wing of the house as another explosion rocked my home. I called for Arin several times to ask him to help me look for my kids. Of course, like the coward he is, he left—

"I'm right here, Kari. Can you sense them?" Shocking me, my ex-husband looked at me sternly. I shook my head and focused on the emotions in the house. I could sense three that were frantic and terrified. A fourth, I took to be little Eve, was out cold and in pain. I ran towards them, throwing debris out of my way as waves of explosives shook walls around us. Bits of plaster and dust fell from the ceiling while glass objects fell of walls and shattered. I called out their names again and listened desperately for some sort of reply.

I found a small hand and knew I'd found Eve. I ripped the ceiling boards away from her and nearly cried in happiness. She'd hidden between two couches and had only been slapped on the head by some debris. I picked Eve up carefully and handed her to Arin.

"Mom? Mom!" My head snapped around towards Tommy's voice. "Mom, where are you?" He sounded terrified. I wrenched the fallen boards away from his voice and saw Tommy crouched over James. Before they could blink I was there, hugging them and assessing the damage. They looked none too worse for the wear. James clung to me, crying hysterically. I tried to soothe him as best I could. Tommy's eyes betrayed their real fear and I pulled him into me, trying to convince both of us that it would be alright. He tried to act so tough, but in the face of this kind of danger, even grown men might break down. I could not have been more proud of him.

"I know it's scary, but we'll be okay. I promise, Tommy," I cupped his cheek and looked him in the eye. "Okay, sweetie?" After a nervous gulp, Tommy nodded vigorously. I picked up James and ordered the other boy to keep a vice grip on my belt. Arin brought up the rear; his firm, caring hold on Eve sent a shocked thrill through my system. With a determined shake of my head, I strode away from Tommy and James' hiding spot.

I called for Alex, my voice getting hoarse as I moved through doorways. Unfeeling, bloodthirsty entities were moving through my home toward us as more explosions shook my home. The darker, unnatural part of my nature began to boil to the surface over the continued threat to my adoptive children. The longer Alex didn't answer, the harder it became to keep control over that part of me and my panic.

"Alexandra! Where are you? Answer me!" I listened hard for her, and began flinging rubble back the way we came. This served several purposes: it halted our pursuers' progress; cleared a path to an exit; and it provided a visual search for my oldest girl.

"Carebear? Mommy? Mom, I'm over here! What's going on?" She hadn't called me Carebear since she was five and heard Dev Peltier call me Kari. My maternal instincts overtook all remnants of sanity left in my brain. I went to her, all the while cursing my mother for depriving me of my Ria once again. Had she not, I would have one more preternatural being to help me find and protect my current children. One day, that woman was going to eat it.

Debris burst away from the voice. Alex came into view, bloody, bruised, and with her leg bent at an unusual direction. Taking Tommy's hand, we rushed to his sister. She checked him over and looked up at me with relief and an obvious accusation in her eyes. My heart broke for what had to be the millionth time that decade. I projected thoughts into her head: _I know. I've made your life hell, but if I knew I had pissed someone off this bad, believe me, I would have sent you away_. Her face softened, if only by a degree. I glided my hand over her leg, not touching it, but assessing it for damage. It was broken in two places, but they were clean breaks. It made me breathe a sigh of relief. I relieved Ilmarinen of Eve. He picked Alex up carefully. Voices and loud crashes accompanied the cracking of timber. I knew exactly where we had to go. I projected the destination to Arin a split second before I flashed myself, Tommy, James, and Eve there.

I breathed a sigh of relief once we were in Sanctuary. With their sanctuary status reinstated, whoever it was that was after me, Arin, or my kids couldn't follow unless they wanted the Omegrion and Savitar to come down on their heads.

I fell to my knees and hugged my two youngest. Tommy stood off to the side looking awkward. I pulled him in as well, knowing he needed it. Arin appeared with Alex. The familiar sight of the dim room of Sanctuary was a beautiful contrast to the burning rubble my house now was. And then it came to me.

My brother and sister. They had to be the ones to send people after me. I had been cursing our mother since she told me she ordered the removal of my Ria. Artemis's name had been thrown in their a few times as well. If they hadn't been the ones to send goons for me, I would be astounded. There was only one question left to me: how do I kill them and get back my daughter without destroying the universe. . .

I'd have to figure that out and soon. I wouldn't use Ash to do it; he was a good person, even if he didn't think so. If I was to bring about the apocalypse, I could not attempt tricking him and keep a clear conscious. On the other hand, I could always find someone to drain their powers. My niece, Katra wasn't in the running for that; she would never agree to it. But there was one person I knew who might do it. . . I only had to contact her. Once Artemis and Apollo were powerless, I could let them attempt to live out human lives on Earth. The most likely outcome of that would be them getting landed in a mental hospital.

I would enjoy that very much. Perhaps too much, I worried. . . Then I decided that I didn't care for once.

Knowing that Aimee was working, I projected my thoughts. I explained to her what had happened and she told me to meet her in their house next door. I flashed us just behind the door that led to the Peltier house from Sanctuary's kitchen. She raised her eyebrows. "Kari," she said, "They're human? I thought you were a god."

I dropped my gaze, inhaled deeply, and then swung my eyes back to her face. "I am. My daughter was kidnapped by Artemis and made one of her koris. These are my adopted children, Aimee." The profession barely fazed her. She efficiently nodded and then called for Carter. The bearswan asked that I flash upstairs. I obeyed immediately, teleporting into their clinic.

Carter, their doctor and a werehawk, looked up, only half surprised to see a bunch of desperate, dusty humans and gods. He merely closed up his paperwork, set it on the metal desk behind him, and sighed. Shaking his head, Carter gestured at the gurney to his left. "Who's first?"

Arin set Alex down on the makeshift bed ever so gently. My brow knit at her hissed intake of breath. Her eyes blurred and she clenched her jaw, trying not to cry out. I immediately went to her side and took her hand in mine. Tommy held Eve and James looked around the room in shock. His tiny mouth made a small O. I turned back to my, currently, oldest child. Carter honed in on her leg and set to work finding the breaks.

The Native American doctor warned Alex that he was about to set the first one and she nodded bravely. She squeezed my hand tightly. Arin stepped away and stood by staring at me. Alex grunted in pain and buried her face in my shoulder to muffle a cry. I held her head there and petted her hair. In thirty minutes, Carter was finished and Alex was wiping her eyes and pretending that she hadn't been crying like she used to when she was five.

"Don't walk on it for a month and a half or two months," Carter ordered. "It's going to be tender, so I'll give you some pain medication to use. Follow the bottle's instructions, don't overdose, and I suggest that you get your mom to take you back in here to see me so I can take the cast off." In the span of another ten to fifteen minutes, Carter had checked out my other three kids and found them fine. Eve was awake and complaining that her head hurt which made me smile ruefully. Good news, she didn't have a concussion. The bad news was that she wasn't going to stop complaining until she got too tired to make her mouth keep moving.

I thanked Carter profusely, offering him anything that I could do for him. "Kari, stop. You've done a lot for the Peltiers over the years, and that means me by extension. If I need a favor, I'll let you know, but don't expect one anytime soon."

My head nodded. I turned at a touch on my shoulder. Ilmarinen was looking for a chance to talk in private. I wasn't sure what to do. Alex saw the look on my face and exchanged a glance with Tommy. "Go, Mom. Tommy and I can take care of Jimmy and Eve." She smiled half-heartedly and gestured toward the door. At the sight of my hesitation, Tommy stepped forward and shoved me toward the door with his free hand.

"Go! Have a social life for once, Ma." I rolled my eyes and stepped out the door behind my ex husband. The hall was open to the air, but completely deserted.

I avoided looking at my ex.; little distractions such as my finger nails or biting my lower lip kept my focus while I meekly thanked him. "Arin, thank you. I am not sure that I would have been able to save my children had you not helped me."

Arin nodded brusquely. I steeled myself. Assuming that my ex husband hadn't changed much in the past two thousand years. He was staring holes into my forehead while I avoided looking at him. As far as I was concerned, I had fulfilled my obligation, thanked him, and was free to go. But being the person that I am, being the goddess that I am, I was compelled to stay and hear whatever it was that he had to say. Secretly, a small, traitorous part of me hoped that he had finally come to his senses and realized what a mistake he'd made in leaving me. In his adultery. I knew that this was a completely unrealistic hope and that it could never happen.

But alas, I was right. Again.

Arin straightened and cleared his throat. "Kharissa, I need our daughter back."

I frowned deeply, causing my brows to knit together. "What do you mean, you need her, Ilmarinen?"

"I have found a suitor for her. I believe it is far past time that she should be wed." He stared at me expectantly, his back straight and barrel chest puffed out. I couldn't fathom the audacity the blacksmith had to even broach such a topic. An all consuming rage swept my body. I saw red, and I felt my eyes changing color, my nails elongating and sharpening, fangs drew down into my mouth, and my hair bleached itself white within the space of a few seconds. My brother and sister had nothing on me when I was like this. If they did not have my Ria, I would have killed them long ago. They're vampiric natures were cheap Hollywood fantasies in comparison.

I shook with the force of my anger, becoming the darker side of human nature, the unnatural part that should not exist, and yet was all too prevalent. The darker humans became, the more I was corrupted. Now was one of the moments I feared, the moments when I lost control over myself and rage was my only motivator. I was terrified of the moments when Man's own inhumanity manifested itself in me and I was bereft of self-control.

I became an animal. A monster of the worst kind. There was no limit to what I could do, what I was capable of because there was no limit to mankind except those it places upon itself. And that sheer force of nature that I embodied, that utterly sinister power, was directed at Ilmarinen.

"I've been lamenting her for thousands of years. Sought your help to get her back. I scoured the earth, sea, sky, and heavens for some way to take our daughter back, and now, suddenly after thousands of years of ignoring my pleas, not even caring that my sister had taken her from me, from us. . . You come to me saying you _have a suitor for her?_"

Currently, I was at a loss for whether the Finnish smith god was smart or extremely stupid for his gambit. He merely stood his ground knowing what he faced: the complete unpredictability of my anger. Arin nodded and the atmosphere became charged with his power as he tried to cow me. He coolly, if gruffly, replied, "I do. I did not come today to aid your human children. I came to take back my girl and finish the marriage rites, as is my duty as her father."

The last shreds of my restraint began to evaporate beneath his sheer stupidity. There was no doubt in my mind, however corrupted it was with anger and bloodlust, that my mother had chosen a complete and utter moron when she'd picked Arin for my husband. All the power I'd been keeping hidden, the power of an Atlantean woman scorned, overlaid Arin's and closed around him like a great iron fist.

"Leave. Never come back, Ilmarinen. You had two thousand years to ask for her, two millenia to come and help me, but instead you flaunted your mistresses while I mourned the loss of child and husband. You failed as a man, and even more so as a god. No true deity would be forced to stoop so low as to need their daughter's hand as payment for their debts. You are unworthy of the title."

His face registered surprise. He had forgotten how much I knew of his habits. "Leave," I thundered. "We have no business, smith. Get _out_ of my _sight_." When he hesitated, I drew back a clawed hand meaning to sink my nails into his throat but as I slashed a strong, warm hand caught my wrist. On instinct, I spun with the other set of talons, aiming for whomever held me, but froze. I looked up into the face of my half brother, knowing that mercurial eyes sat behind the sunglasses that masked them.

"Kharissa, let it go." Acheron's voice was soft, commanding. I blinked and shook my head, attempting to clear the red haze from my vision and thoughts. A wave of exhaustion swept me when I returned to normal, bereft of the rush that my darker half provided. All the torments of my past became fresh in my mind. I relived losing Sotiria; my horrible marriage to Arin; watching Ash from afar and unable to go and comfort him; the children I'd watch die or be slaughtered; thousands of people being killed before my eyes for trivial things like borderlines, dirt, and currency; my brother's and sisters' scorn; and the most recent wound, my mother's treachery. That crushing knowledge tore me apart even while a voice whispered in the back of my mind that I still had yet to act on my agreement with my mistress, Apollymi. Breaking down cost me the solidity of my legs and I began to fall to my knees. Ash caught me easily and lowered me carefully to the floor.

I didn't even ask my half-brother why things stood as they did. I couldn't hope to expect an answer that would satisfy the large part of me that screamed for some sort of justice be it through bloodshed or merely a tipping of the scales in favor of the downtrodden. I could only hope that I wouldn't be destroyed by it.

* * *

_Just a teensy, weensy, itty, bitty, little reminder to please,_ Review!


End file.
